Guide to combat sites

This article should be cleaned up or improved.
The reason is:

General cleanup/updating on the "The Basics" section etc. would be welcome, but especially the Combat Anomalies/Static Complexes/Combat Signatures sections have long lists of detailed info on rat waves etc. that isn't necessarily relevant here. Maybe move each site's info to its own wiki article and provide links and at most short summaries here, or set up a table summarizing the sites somehow; see also e.g. http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Cosmic_Anomalies#Combat_Sites and http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Scanning:Scan_Results#Combat_Sites

This guide details how to get started with combat sites that are found via exploration. Once you get good at clearing sites you can make several million ISK per hour from basic sites.

Combat sites are pockets in space filled with rats to shoot at. This guide focuses on the three most common types: Combat anomalies that can be found without probes and cosmic signatures (unrated and DED rated) that need probes for locating. Cosmic anomalies are easier, have no ship restrictions and pay less. Unrated and DED rated combat sites require probes to scan down, have ship size limitations but pay on avarage more than anomalies . DED rated complexes pay especially well.

Getting Started

Combat sites all involve combat. Unrated and DED rated complexes also need to be scanned with probes while combat anomalies can be found with no additional equipment.

Skills

For combat you will want to train the skills for your weapon system of choice, tanking skills and general fitting skills.

For probe scanning you should look at training Astrometrics, Astrometric Rangefinding and Astrometric Pinpointing. Higher skill level will make scanning easier and faster but even at low levels you can scan down combat sites to run.

Be careful when operating near trade hubs in hi-sec space due to war targets. Clearing K-space anomalies and signatures should be treated in the same way as missioning. Read tips for surviving during war time for more information.

Advantages:

• You can start making a significant amount of ISK with only Astrometrics I and a good frigate, and more with a combat destroyer or cruiser.
• There is no need to grind standing up for agents.
• It can be more exciting to scan things down and do them rather than repeating the same missions over and over again.
• There is a chance of a faction spawn that might drop really good/expensive loot.
• For those basic sites, you don't really have to be worried about EWAR. There won't be any warp scrambling frigates to worry about.

Disadvantages:

• Faction spawns are rare and rarely drop anything.
• You have competition - not a lot with the cosmic anomalies, but it gets worse on combat sites that have to be scanned down. In missions you get your own deadspace pocket (although you can be scanned down in it).
• To be somewhat effective you should be a few jumps away from the Uni HQ, to reduce the competition from other Unistas, which will reduce your ability to quickly join up with PvP fleets if you want to.
• After a while, the sites do tend to get repetitive, sometimes as much as missioning.
• Drops can be very inconsistent. Most of the time you get nothing but any of the sites can drop several hundred million isk worth of loot at once.

Fittings

When doing anything in EVE you will need to use the right ship for the right job. While selecting the hull and fit you should remember the following:

• Exploration involves traveling around in multiple systems. You will be usually on your own and need to have everything you need in your ship.
• Probe launcher requires a high power slot. Some ships have so called "utility high" meaning they have more high slots taht weapon slots.
• Rats of different regions are different. Each deals different damage type, has different resist profile and uses different electronic warfare. You should at least select your hardeners to match the incoming damage.
  • Angel (Minmatar space): Deals and is weak to explosive and kinetic damage. Uses target target painters that are mostly harmless.
  • Serpentis (Gallente space): Deals and is weak to kinetic and thermal. Uses sensor dampeners that will drop your targeting range.
  • Blood raiders and Sansha (Amarr space): Deals and is weak to electromagnetic and thermal. Use tracking disruptors that will hinder all turret users and neuts that will hinder ships with active tank.
  • Guristas (Caldari space). Deals and is weak to kinetic and thermal. Uses ECM that will annoy everyone.
  • Rogue drones (everywhere). Deals various damage types, mostly kinetic, thermal and explosive. Weak to electromagnetic and thermal.

The following sections detail some basi fits for combat sites.

Frigates

Frigates can enter all sites. With modest skill a frigate should be able to complete some of the easiest combat sites.

Destroyers

Destroyer can enter all cosmic anomalies, all unrated copmlexes and 2/10 DED complexes and above. While destroyer has much higher damage output than a frigate it is also slower and easier to hit. A destroyer is able to do many easier combat sites.

Cruisers

Cruisers can enter all cosmic anomalies, lookouts and unrated complexes that are above lookout and 3/10 DED complexes and above. Cruisers enjoy high damage and good tank. They can run most high security sites they can enter without issues. Only the hardest DED site is tricky hard and the hardest unrated complex is very hard for a cruiser.

Passive signature runner

Rupture: Passive signature runner

EFT

[Rupture, Passive signature runner]
Core Probe Launcher I, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
425mm Medium 'Scout' Autocannon I, EMP M
425mm Medium 'Scout' Autocannon I, EMP M
425mm Medium 'Scout' Autocannon I, EMP M
425mm Medium 'Scout' Autocannon I, EMP M

Kinetic Deflection Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Thermal Dissipation Field II
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner

Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Tracking Enhancer II

Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I

Hobgoblin I x5

Sisters Core Scanner Probe x9
EMP M x1
Phased Plasma M x1000

FITTING DIFFICULTY

EVE VERSION

LATEST

ALPHA CAN USE

NO

EFT

SKILLS

NOTES

RECOMMENDED SKILLS

NOTES

• Switch hardeners to match incoming damage.
• Switch ammo to hit weakest resist
• Use speed to mitigate damage from cruisers and larger.
• Can run all high sec signatures up to vigil without issues. Even vigil is possible with skill and knowledge.

Battlecruiser

While battlecruiser can still enter all anomalies and same unrated complexes as cruisers it suffers from inability to enter 3/10 DED site that is commonly found in high security space. In general a battlecruiser is not a good choice for doing combat sites in high security space.

The sites

Combat sites can be divided anomalies, signatures, escalations and static complexes.

• Cosmic anomaly.
  • Visible in probe window without scanner.
  • Low chance to either contain faction spawn or escalate.
• Cosmic signature
  • Needs to be scanned down with probes.
  • Unrated has moderate chances for faction spawn and low chance to escalate.
  • DED rated have guaranteed faction spawn that can drop DED modules.
• Expedition
  • Escalates from anomalies and unrated signatures.
• Static complex
  • Relic of the past and should be mostly ignored.
  • Visible beacon on overview that can be warped to.

The System security determines how hard sites spawn while region determines what pirate faction sites spawn. Most high security sites can be completed in cruiser.

In addition to these there are occasional in-game events that contain combat sites. These sites show up as beacons on the overview and run for limited time.

Cosmic Anomalies

Cosmic anomalies are the first type of exploration site, they appear automatically in the ship scanner whenever you enter a system. Cosmic anomalies come in a few varieties; this article deals only general site structure, see Cosmic Anomalies for a fuller listing.

Cosmic anomalies are ungated pockets in space. They have several waves of rats that spawn when a trigger is triggered. Usually next wave appears once the previous wave has been destroyed but on some sites destroying a specific ship will trigger next wave. The last wave can contain a faction commander spawn. This commander has different name from normal rats and can drop caluable faction module, implant or pirate faction ship blueprint copy. Destruction of the last wave can also escalate the site. If an escalation occurs a text window will pop up with escalation message and the escalation is added to expeditions page on journal.

When looking for faction spawns or escalations and your ship is able to tank the incoming damage of the waves it is possible to trigger all waves as soon as possible to get the possible faction spawn and escalation.

Once a Combat Anomaly has been completed it will disappear few minutes after you warp out, so make sure to bookmark the wrecks if you want to salvage them later. Ore sites will despawn when all asteroids have been depleted, or after an internal timer expires.

To see information on a specific cosmic anomaly see Cosmic_Anomalies#Combat_sites.

Cosmic Signatures

Cosmic Signatures are more advanced exploration sites that need to be scanned down with probes. They are gated deadspace complexes with limits on what ships can enter.

The deadspace complex usually consist warpin and one or more additional rooms. Any warp into the site will land on the warpin. In each room there is an acceleration gate that will fling ships to next room. The acceleration gates are however most of the time locked. Most common requirements for unlocking the gate are destrying all hostile NPC ships in the room, unlocking it with a tag (consumes tag), destroying a specific ship or destroying a specific structure.

Each room can also contain multiple waves of enemies. As with anomalies the next wave is usually triggered by destroying all ships from previous wave or by destroying a specific ship. Other triggers are proximity to an object in the room, damaging certain ship or structure and timed spawn.

The prize of the site waits in the last room. DED rated complexes are quaranteed to contain an overseer or a structure that drops DED modules and on some sites pirate faction ship blueprints. In unrated complexes destroying ceratin targets has a chance to spawn a commander ship that can drop a faction module, implant or faction ship blueprint copy. Unrated complexes also contain two or more escalation triggers. Destroying the commander is always one escalation trigger but the sites always contain an alternative trigger that can be triggered if commander does not spawn.

The complex can also have split routes and multiple opportunities for faction items. For example serpentis narcotic warehouses contains two routes that both contain an overseer cruiser with small chance to drop a faction module and a structure in last room that can drop DED modules and a faction ship blueprint copy.

When running cosmic signatures it is often best to rush to the commander as fast as possible as they are the most profitable objects in the sites.

Each site is unique. Spawn triggers, defender waves and escalation possibilities can be found for each site in Scanning:Scan_Results#Combat_Sites.

One often forgotten combat site group is chemical labs. They only spawn in certain low security regions and show up as gas sites. They are defended by two defender waves and to get the valuables you need hack containers with data analyzer. They can drop drug related commodities, drug blueprint copies, drug related skillbooks and drug related implants. For more information on chemical labs see Scanning:Scan_Results#Chemical_Labs

Escalations

Sometimes, completing an exploration site will escalate to an expedition. These are like followup missions and usually have a chance to happen if you kill a faction spawn at the end of a site. If an escalation occurs a message window will appear with escalation message and the expedition is added to your journal on expeditions page.

Escalations from cosmic anomalies will lead to a deadspace complex that are normally found as cosmic signatures. Escalations from unrated cosmic signatures are unique four part expeditions that are only found as escalations. Each part has a chance to lead to location until fourth location is gained. Each of the three first locations have high chance to contain a faction commander with normal commander drops and the fourth location will usually contain quaranteed DED module drop.

You'll generally only have 24 hours or so to complete an escalation. When you warp to an escalation site, make sure to make a bookmark, since the bookmark in your journal only marks the system you need to travel to.

More info on escalation is found in Scanning:Scan_Results#Expeditions_.2F_Escalations

See also

• Probing In Simple Steps
• Scan results